It’s about time, the man exemplifies the legendary toughness of the Bears.

jayhawk6 says:May 24, 2013 7:31 AM

Fourteen retired numbers is a boatload.
It’s a bit mind numbing to ponder the reality that Dick Butkus and Gale Sayers were both drafted nearly 50 years ago and that Mike Ditka was already on the team.
Must have been having a lot of fun because that went by awfully fast.

The best thing to happen to the Bears is that George Mckaskey took over the club from his brother Michael…. Michael was a tool and kind of a Jag. George stood up, fired Angelo when he finally realized he was the worst GM in football. Now he is making decisions that make the Bears organization one to be proud of again………

I cannot understand why this was not completed earlier. Ditka is one of the greatest tight ends of all time. HE IS CHICAGO. You can place him with Mackey and Gonzalez as tight ends who changed the game.

iowahbr says:May 24, 2013 11:45 AM

Is Urlacher a Hall of Famer, Ditka’s number to be retired, very little about real Bears news these days. Perhaps for the best.

mazblast says:May 24, 2013 5:38 PM

“It was November 24, 1963, two days after JFK was assasinated and I was a 13 year old at the game, which is still a black mark on the NFL for not cancelling that weekend.” I was “almost 8″ at the time, and I remember that my father refused to turn the radio on for that game, feeling that even listening to it would be disrespectful.

Pete Rozelle later said that the decision not to cancel that weekend’s games was the worst decision he ever made as Commissioner, and that he had personally apologized to Teddy, Jackie, and many of the other Kennedys.

Getting back to the subject–Way past overdue and well deserved, more for his play and attitude than for his coaching. Ditka helped transform the TE position from glorified blocker to a dual threat.

I wouldn’t retire his number. In fact I would publicly ask him how is it that with a domiant team you only won 1? How is it that you set the record for least amount of points scored and LOST your 1st playoff game? How about the embarrassments against the 49ers…including one on Monday night? Or the Wayne Fontes smking a cigar after the lowly Lions beat the Bears?